Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to kitchen appliances, more particularly, to a stovetop exhaust baffle filter for trapping grease.
2. Description of the Related Art
Above most stovetops is an exhaust fan to vent smoke, combustion gases, grease, and steam away from the work area and to prevent them from collecting in the room. In order to remove grease, a filter is positioned between the stovetop and the fan. Filters of porous materials or loosely bound materials are generally adequate for home use. However, they are inadequate for high volume areas, such as restaurant and some residential kitchens, because the filter gets clogged by grease relatively quickly and must be cleaned often.
Most commercial kitchens and commercial-like residential kitchens use an exhaust baffle filter 100. One form of baffle filter is shown in cross-section in FIG. 2. It has alternating elongated channels 102, 104 that cause the air to flow in an S pattern 106 around the channels 102, 104. As the grease travels from the stovetop to the baffle 100, most of it hits the first channel surface 108 and adheres. The remainder of the grease hits the second channel surface 110 and adheres. The grease adheres because of the nature of liquids to cling to surfaces.
There are two basic ways that the grease is removed from the baffle. In the first, the baffle 100 is positioned on a slant, causing the captured grease to slide down the channels 102, 104 to a slanted gutter, which guides the grease to a holding reservoir. The main shortcoming of this arrangement is that it has two components. With two components, it is typically more expensive and installation is more complicated. Also, the components can be separated and possibly lost by the installer or owner.
The second way grease is removed from the baffle 100 is to position the baffle 100 horizontally, so that the grease collects in the bottom of the second channel 104. Grease that is captured by the first channel 102 slides down the walls 112 into the second channel 104. Every so often, the baffle 100 is removed and emptied. One shortcoming of this method is the potential for spilling the grease every time the baffle 100 is emptied. A second shortcoming is that the grease is held directly over the stovetop and being constantly heated when the stovetop is on. Because grease is flammable, this arrangement is potentially hazardous.
An object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust baffle filter that needs to be emptied less often and that has a lower potential for accidents and loss than those of the prior art.
In short, the present invention is an exhaust baffle filter adapted for use in trapping grease, and that comprises: a frame having a common side; a plurality of upper channels extending between the common side of the frame and other sides of the frame, each upper channel having a ceiling and a pair of upper channel walls, the upper channel walls extending downwardly away from the ceiling at an angle steep enough that the grease will slide down the walls; a plurality of lower channels parallel to the upper channels, each lower channel having a floor approximately parallel to the ceiling and lower channel walls extending away from the floor toward the upper channels and at an angle steep enough that the grease will slide down the lower channel walls to the floor, the lower channels alternating with the upper channels such that the upper channels and the lower channels overlap vertically; at least one trough along the common side of the frame, the trough having a floor at or below the lower channel floors and at least the portion of the trough at and below the lower channel floors being sealed to prevent leakage by liquids; and openings in the lower channel floors to allow the grease in the lower channels to drain into the trough.
The baffle filter of the present invention has a frame with a number of upper and lower channels extending between sides of the frame. The upper channel has a flat ceiling and a pair of downwardly-extending walls, steep enough to allow grease droplets to slide. The lower channel has a floor and a pair of upwardly-extending walls, steep enough to allow grease droplets to slide down to the floor. The upper and lower channels overlap vertically so that grease droplets will fall onto the lower channel from the upper channel walls. As air and suspended grease are pulled into the baffle filter, the larger grease droplets adhere to the upper channel. The flowing air may push the droplets on the ceiling to the wall and the droplets on the wall, finally to drop to the lower channel. Most of the remaining suspended grease droplets adhere to the lower channel.
A trough is located on the frame at one end of the lower channels. In a second embodiment, there are two troughs, one at each end of the lower channels. In a third embodiment, there are two troughs, one at the end of the lower channels and the other at the end of the upper channels, where the upper and lower channels are interchangeable and the filter can be used in either vertical orientation. A fourth embodiment is a combination of the second and third embodiments.
The trough floor is at or below the level of the lower channel floor and is sealed to prevent grease and/or other liquids from leaking from the trough. The normal operating orientation of the baffle filter is slanted, with the trough floor at the lowest point, so that the grease accumulating in the lower channels slides down to the trough. Each lower channel floor has a hole adjacent to the trough to allow the grease to drain into the trough.
Optionally, holes in the upper channels provide access for cleaning.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.